Certain headgear, such as various sports helmets, typically do not include a brim or visor, and, if they do, they are relatively small visors extending from the front of the helmet only. Such helmets rarely include visors extending around the entire circumference of the helmet. Hard hats may include a very small, inflexible full brim but this brim does not provide wide sun protection.
Outdoor sports, such as bicycling, skateboarding, snow skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, rock climbing, equestrian, and paddling—are often done in areas without trees or other fixtures to provide shade. Participants encounter significant sun exposure while performing their respective activities even when using conventional helmets. Likewise, workers using hard hats often perform their duties in sunny locations and encounter significant sun exposure.
Sport helmets generally consist of a hard material and/or shock-absorbing material, such as foam, to protect the head from injury. Some may have a built-in brim; however they do not offer full, flexible brims around the entire helmet for sun protection. Some helmets offer no visor or brim at all. These brim-less or bill-less helmets are particularly problematic for fitting with a brim since no easy and secure attachment means for the visor, namely the short bill protrusion on billed helmets, exists. Furthermore, elongated bicycle helmets taper rapidly and are very broad at the front, making it difficult to attach and securely hold an aftermarket brim or visor onto the helmet with current technology. As such, protection of one's head from injury can come at the expense of sun protection and lack of shade. Additionally, helmets without any visor expose the wearer's eyes to glare and can make it difficult to see. Lack of a visor or brim on helmets or hard hats contributes to significant discomfort during inclement weather. Without a visor or brim on the helmet, rain and snow can easily reach the wearer's eyes, sunglasses, or prescription lenses, impairing vision.
One alternative option is to wear a baseball hat under the helmet or hard hat to provide shade while performing the outdoor activity. However, this practice does not allow for ventilation or adjustability of the brim. Additionally, full brim coverage is not provided. Such practice is cumbersome, often results in an improper fit of the helmet, and allows sweat and moisture to contact the skin.
A number of shades, caps, and helmets seek to provide sun protection including, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,030,173; 5,519,895; 5,727,250; 6,260,204; 6,374,423; 6,889,391; 6,966,074; and 7,406,721; and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2002/004946 and 2004/0010832, 2011/0167544 each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. All patents and patent applications and non-patent publications recited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
A brim apparatus for operating with sports headgear is often subjected to strong forces. A snowboarder or cyclist, for example, travels at great speeds and consequently subjects his helmet and brim to large winds which urge the brim to deflect or worse, flip up, thwarting a purpose of the brim, namely to block the sun.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus that addresses the above mentioned challenges and that can be attached to a helmet and provide the wearer with shade and protection from the sun, thereby reducing the risk of skin cancer. There is a need for an apparatus that can attach to, and operate with, headgear to provide the wearer with shade and protection from the sun despite the speed and conditions arising from the environment or sport.